Friday, November 30, 2007

In-Progress in NYC: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Banquet

Friday night at 9PM Eastern Time, ESPN Classic plays host to the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Banquet from New York City.

At 8:30PM, also on Classic, the Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon will have highlights shown from the Thursday function that awards the Rookie of the Year and other sponsor-driven awards.

This Banquet has changed networks as the NASCAR TV contracts have changed, and this will be the first year on ESPN Classic. The program will re-air at Midnight Eastern, 9PM Pacific for the West Coast.

The evening will be hosted by Dr. Jerry Punch, with Kelly Clarkson as the musical guest and David Spade as the comic entertainment.

This function has changed from a rather informal and often entertaining end-of-season blow-out to a fully charged high-dollar sponsor-driven TV show. In the past several years, the drivers have read their acceptance speeches from a TV style Teleprompter.

This page will serve to host your comments about the Banquet on ESPN, and you may add your TV-related opinion before, during, or after the program. Please read the rules on the right side of the main page about posting, and then feel free to add your opinion to this on-going Internet discussion at The Daly Planet.

UPDATE: SPEED told me earlier this week that there was no TV programming surrounding the NEXTEL Cup Banquet on their network.

I mentioned in an earlier article that there would be no Melissa Rivers and Michael Waltrip return, and no behind-the-scenes programming.

Once again, NASCAR Images is the company that provides the NASCAR content to SPEED and produces INC and all the SPEED Stage shows.

I will ask them on Monday if they plan to provide broader network coverage and programming surrounding the function, but as we can see from the program airing on ESPN Classic, the value of this night has slipped to its lowest point.

I,m confused.Seems like the same misdirected ESPN. I think i'm listening to the banquet by MRN on Sirius Satellite Radio, but it's not on TV. The banquet has already been shoved to ESPN Classic so why isn't it more important than a classic American Gladiators show? One last snub to the Nascar fan this year. This is so so bad. There are not enough words to express the frustration.Glenn in GA

UPDATE: SPEED told me earlier this week that there was no TV programming surrounding the NEXTEL Cup Banquet on their network.

I think we all were confused because on the website programming guide on SPEED.com, they listed a Behind the Scenes at Championship Week program listed for today. Then this morning the schedule was changed.

All advertisements for the banquet keep saying LIVE on ESPN Classic. According to the above poster, that is not true. More misinformation from ESPN.

I gotta say, I was really depressed about the season and ESPN's 'treatment' of NASCAR.

But now that I have read the MANY STATEMENTS of the hallucinatory thoughts of Narcissistic Brian France, I have NO HOPE for next season to improve. Now one whit.

According to all the fans, NASCAR coverage is the WORST since it was 30 minutes a week on WW of Sports. FANS loathe, detest and despise the manufactured CHASE, the COT (the drivers do not like it's HANDLING but are NOT ALLOWED to state so publicly) Fans hate the Top 35

Fans HATE being GYPPED out of NASCAR QUALIFYING and PRACTICE (ESPN TALKS OVER EVERYTHING and rarely shows the cars on the track. When they DO show the cars, there is so much CRAP and graphics on screen, it's useless.)

But according to the OUT OF TOUCH BFrance, HE BELIEVES that all is WELL...ratings are down EVERYWHERE..not just NASCAR, says he.

They are selling MORE SEATS in Texas, Phoenix. blah, blah, blah

We fans at home see more empty seats everywhere but are WRONG to think something is amiss with the sport.

Brian France is needs to step down but is too busy kissing up to celebrities.

:(

EDIT: The Award to NASCAR made me almost spit out my coffee when I read it on Jayski earlier today.

This is why we are FOOLING ourselves into thinking things will improve next season.

ESPN couldn't even be bothered to broadcast the banquet live.... Through my job, I have access to a fiber feed... prior to air time they were showing Harvick giving his speech. How is it that a network could spend so much money and do such a crappy job with its coverage.

Matt said... Does anyone else find David Spade as UN-funny as I do? Why doesn't NASCAR get a Blue Collar Comedian to do this show?---------------------------Because it would be seen as too Southern, and to NASCAR, Southern = Redneck. I bet they'll reconsider after tonight.

Sophia, I think anonymous is listening on Sirius... They are airing it live. The fiber that I am watching is what you are seeing... during the commercials, while you see the commercial I see them switching around and getting the next segment ready. No worries... no spoilers from me if I get em. Now if I could just use some of this to place bets LOL

ummm-don't fault the 4 letter channel for that...same thing happened last yr. I listened on XM radio to the LIVE banquet..but taped TNT's broadcast later. btw, I ALWAYS pay attention to what the guys where!! I've personally had some satellite problems tonite, so can't comment on Spade, but saw the lovely tribute to Bill France & the others we've lost.

No, ESPN is a client of the company I work for. They are sending us the broadcast via fiber for us to pass along to their international interests. I see the show minus commercials. While you are seeing the commercials, the broadcast truck is getting the next segement on the "tape" ready to go. I also see them switch occasionaly to the feed directly from the stage live. When they come back from commercial, I see the same thing as you.

JD, you are quite familiar with the compnay I work for in Stamford ;-)

Yes, the ticker is MOST IRRITATING, ain't it? But so far, the show is going on at a much better clip than last year course I know there is a singer coming up (Ugh) and more David Spade (who's comments about big people on planes did make me laugh as I know many who travel and have had their seat taken over by such people)

Glad you owned up Kev, cuz some of us ladies out here watching this are a NORMAL or bigger size ~waving hand~ and think ALOT of the model wives are a "bit" thin!! And the songs had NOTHING to do w/Nascar..

I felt so sorry for Kelly Clarkson. The crowd looked so uninterested and restless at their tables, though Jimmie Johnson tried to look enthused for her.

Her voice sounded good, though the mix was off. I saw earlier today a comment in the other Banquet article those songs she sang don't have anything to do with NASCAR. That's true. Maybe the crowd is silently protesting the music choices by their disinterest.

The interviews with the wives before the awards was new, at least I've never seen it before. A little odd, but not bad. They're trying something different.

Well, chandra is a rail..but thinking of weight...remember when Tony started losing weight and looking better???And he had the personal cook traveling with him?

WHA' Happened?

Tony...is a handsome guy but too young to be resembling Elvis the later years...Rotund in his jumpsuit. (And I say that as a former chubby woman, not some snotty born rail thin type that used to make me SCREAM ;-) )

Tony seems to enjoy speaking and is at ease...but if Brylcream came back in vogue, I missed that...I wish I could afford Sirius...it would be fun to hear his show and the others...

NOT TO MENTION FULL TIME MRN for the races!! instead of Peespn.

:-)

Great SPEECH TONY!! Glad somebody sent me one of your HOME DEPOT jackets last week. I LOVE wearing it..

Nice to see him mention Ricky Rudd and DJ, too. It was a heartfelt speech.

I'm back!! But soooo out after this-Spade is on & he is NOT doing comedy about our guys at ALL! Last sad comment from me-at least Jay made it about the drivers & didn't do an unrelated stand-up routine. What did I expect??? Life goes on...

I almost got my rear end chewed out. My wife was upstairs watching a chick-flick and she heard some strange vocalizations coming from the TV. She thought I was watching an X rated movie but it was the announcer lady. Oh, goody, Kenseth is on. Nap tiiiiiimmme............

From what I know, Jimmie Johnson doesn't get to pick the host or musical guest - that's all NASCAR.

Some folks last year blamed him for the singer Jewel being on they said he picked her as the champion selection, but it wasn't true. She was the NASCAR designated singer for the year, like Kelly Clarkson was for 2007.

One other thing Jay Mohr did that David Spade isn't is talk to the drivers after they made their speeches. Tonight they just pick up their trophies and walk off the stage. That was part of the fun after Kyle made his mistake last year, Mohr came up with a nice joke about it while Kyle was still standing there.

Yes I was confused about the scheduled highlight show as well. I checked my recordings this AM and all was there but then I saw that other stuff recorded. I didn't notice until the 6 pm CST reair so I had wondered what was going on.

@richierich--I don't think it's ever been aired live. What I've understood is that everything starts at 7 eastern but it doesn't get on air until 8 (well 9 now) eastern.

Well since I didn't get to see the banquet live, I was looking forward to at least check out the replay on the Deuce, but evidently 8 replays of Sportcenter just aren't enought so they have to put Sportscenter on the Deuce due to the basketball game. That is a little odd since usually SportsCenter is moved to ESPN News in situations like this.

Hey, where's the banquet? I'm in California, it's 9:10 pm and ESPN2 is broadcasting Sportscenter. ESPN doesn't give a damn about NASCAR fans. I'm sick and tired of chasing NASCAR programs over all of ESPN's channels only to find out they aren't broadcasting the show at all.

they probably think they can play with the 1st 15 minutes, since the banquet was 2 hours, 45 minutes. so, i would expect them to attempt to finish on time, in stead of start on time. December 1, 2007 12:11 AM

or,.....maybe not. jeez, how does berman's 2-minutes turn into 5+? why is this even necessary when it wasn't scheduled to begin with? good lawd. this is reeedickulus.

they're showing highlights of the event they're supposed to be broadcasting? why not edit that and get to the replay sooner?i thought some of the complaints about the bottom line were a little ridiculous since espnclassic/espn2 has it ALL the time, but now i find myself complaining about every little slap in the face to the nascar fans.

THEY'RE JUST GETTING FIRED UP WITH SPORTSCENTER? WHAT ABOUT WHAT IS SCHEDULED. Hey, ESPN!!! Get your head out of your

I just checked ESPN's website for their TV schedule. Now it shows the CUP banquet will be shown on ESPN2 at 1 am Eastern, 10 pm Pacific time. ESPN must be the acronym for Every Sports Persons Nightmare!

They usually don't cut Sportscenter short. So if you want, check ESPN2 at the bottom of the hour. The banquet should be coming on then (the football game from earlier went over schedule by about 30 minutes, which would push their whole schedule back by that amount of time).

I have always found the banquet lame, too staged and well a waste of money. So I tuned in anyhow. I am fed up with ESPN and their rescheduling. Please ship the programs that ESPN doesn't care about over to a network who will like SPEED.

Ok...someone should have put the teleprompter on the camera or at least moved the camera closer to the teleprompter...it looks terrible to see the good Doctor looking off camera the entire time to read his script.

I wouldn't say the banquet was bad...the word I would use is subdued. Everyone seemed so...quiet. There was nothing I'm going to remember a week from now. I missed SPEED's yellow carpet show where I could see their personalities a little more beforehand (at least when Wendy interviewed them - Melissa Rivers wasn't good).

Overall, I thought Jeff Gordon's speech was the best and most heartfelt. I liked Matt Kenseth jokingly complaining that he didn't get to do a taped interview with his wife like the other married drivers and saying he has the cutest wife out there. I went "AWWW" like the audience did.

There weren't many laughs tonight. Last year everybody joked about Kyle in the speeches that followed his and that was a good way to inject some humor.

Kyle and Tony joked a little bit this evening. I too thought Jimmie thanking "Uggs" (as in the boots) instead of spelling out UGS the company and then realizing his error, was funny. I bet Chandra has 20 pairs of Uggs, that why she was laughing so hard.

Everyone looked fantastic all dressed up, even if they change or move the banquet, I hope they stay dressed up.

@anon 11:38--that's what I thought then I saw JDs other post and got all confuzzled!

@elena--that's why I told everyone who needed to record on the deuce to set longer time. They had a live football game on and then Sportscenter was scheduled to come on after. And I doubted they'd "shorten" SC to make up for any overages.

Lets face it, Kelly Clarkson bites. Why continue to think the garage band types from Idol have actual talent beyond a .99 phone call voting system. It kills me when NASCAR throws one of these events, it shows how redneck we all are, and what we will accept. And OMG is that Susie trying to sound like that guy that does movie trailers?

So far I'm enjoying the banquest. David Spade is okay. I liked Jay better. I think David linked his jokes about flying by saying he knew how much drivers have to travel. Of course they have their own jets, unlike him. I don't think people should have to avoid taking about planes. We all have to move on with our lives, and it was not overdone.

Did not care for Kelly or the voice.

Tom Brokaw gave a nice tribute.

I enjoyed the wives in the short videos. I did not know Jeff Burton had dated his wife since he was 15. I liked that he gave a nice tribute to DJ and Ricky Rudd.

Tony was pretty good. It was funny when he said Zippy had filled in for his wife. He also gave tribute to DJ and Ricky. The only one so far to congratulate Juan Pablo. Kinda joked with him, but the ESPN camera did not show him (JP).

David Spade is back. His jokes about his mother calling him in California were funny. I lived in CA and every time there was an earthquake, my family would call to see if I was okay. Some quakes were 500 miles from my house!

Kyle was funny. Really grown up too. Gave kudos to all of HMS. He joked about making a mistake last year. Was also funny when he said that one of his goals was not to be called to the trailer to see M Helton.

Jeff looked great. His hair looked cool, unlike poor Tony. Jeff showed what a really happy guy he is. It even looked as though Ingrid's eyes were welling up with tears. Boy, Stevie's wife is cute!

Are you kidding me? What was with interviewing all the wives? They start out with the 10th place finisher and interview Kevin...er..Delana Harvick!! Nothing against the wives or anything but I don't think Delana held off Mark Martin to win the Daytona 500. I tune in to hear what the drivers say not their wives. Like we need another shot of Kim Burton. Didn't we see enough of her on ESPN this year? David Spade was bland at best. I can't wait to read your blog on the banquet. Just like all the races ESPN/ABC covered a complete MESS!

I watch the bannquet this morning or at least most of it. I taped the espn2 reply and got cut off mid sentence of JJ's speech, I foolishly assumed it would end on time but evidently espn had other ideas and they put in a sports center first and ran over. I did see the speech on Nascar.com so hopefully I didn't missed anything after that. Yes it was kind of boring but I watched every speech Tony and Kyle were pretty funny and Kevin's acceptance of the special moment (what ever it really is called) was funny and I am assuming it was unrehearsed. JJ's oops with Uggs vs UGS was hysterical, some guys would just have kept going pretending that nothing happened but he stopped, fixed it and commented on the big oops and made me enjoy it more. JG's speech showed so much class, how can you not respect him. Hopefully Nascar will work on better coverage for next year this midnight replay was pathetic and it looks like the post show is actully avail on Nascar.com. Although I don't know if it includes the wives/GF which I was interested in seeing too. I agree with the other posts about the voiceover women and lose the comedian if he can't make Nascar related jokes (when was the last time these drivers/families/crewchiefs flew coach next to the fat lady) and Kelly Clarkson????

JD- I thought this year's Banquet was a big improvement over last year - especially format. I thought it did not drag like it did in 2006 and I thought almost all the drivers seemed more relaxed and, if they were reading, more accomplished at doing so. I thought Jerry P. was a big improvement over Weber, even though JP seemed a little stiff. I could have missed him, but I did not see or hear Rusty, which I thouhgt was curious.

I did not get to hear the intro for Tom Brokaw so I am not clear why he was there, but I think it was significant that he was - especially in light of his profile with the media in NYC.

In a somewhat related vein, it seems curious that ESPN uses Big and Rich for the lead-in for its COLLEGE GAMEDAY show and Aerosmith for NASCAR. Do you think NASCAR would have vetoed Big and Rich for ESPN NASCAR broadcasts? I personally found the Big and Rich clip this AM far superior to the noxious Aerosmith clip.

I finally got to watch my recording of the Banquet. It wasn't terrible. As others have said, the format changes were an improvement, and could've worked except for a few things.

One of which, I think you can probably count the David Spade and Kelly Clarkson experiments as failures. Why do they need a comic anyway? I can see the desire for a musical guest, but maybe return to the practice of letting the champion have a say in the entertainment.

Also, the voiceover did get annoying towards the end. I don't believe the woman doing the voiceover was Suzy Kolber, however. It was probably someone who makes their living being a voiceover artist.

I noticed the repurposed video footage as well. But I liked that touch of doing some kind of retrospective before the driver gives their speech.

Overall, it could've been better, but it's an awards show so what can you expect?